Monday, January 5, 2009
Bad Things Happen to Good People
“Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than other people from Galilee?” he asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will also perish unless you turn from your evil ways and turn to God.”
Death comes to everyone. Jesus had heard of some Galileans whom Pilate had murdered as they sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem. The common thinking among some in that day was that the tragedy was a judgment from God on the victims.
Jesus responded by asking, “ ‘Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than other people from Galilee?’ he asked. ‘Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will also perish unless you turn from your evil ways and turn to God’ ” (Luke 13:2–3).
The issue Jesus addressed was the mistaken assumption that this tragic event fell upon these people because they were horrible sinners. In essence, Jesus’ answer was, “No, they are not any worse than you. People die. You are a sinner as well, and someday you will die too.”
Because sin exists in the world, people die. Death will eventually happen to everyone. Good people die, and bad people die. Old people die, and young people die. Death is the great equalizer.
Copyright © 2009 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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